In the history of the WNBA, only 20 rookies have ever lead their team in points scored for an entire season. From Lauren Jackson, to Diana Taurasi, to Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne, the list is loaded with all-time legends. Seven of the 18 players have won MVP Awards, and together they account for 10 of the 19 MVP trophies the league has ever handed out.  

This year, another talented youngster is on track to add her name to that elite group. No, not Breanna Stewart –though she is having a splendid rookie campaign. The Indiana Fever’s Tiffany Mitchell.

The last, and only, member of the Fever to accomplish the feat was none other than Tamika Catchings back in 2002. It’s fitting, therefore, that as she passes the torch to a new generation after this year, one of her own teammates will be right there to carry it along.

“We’re really excited that she was still around,” head coach Stephanie White said after the draft, where the Fever scooped up Mitchell when she was surprisingly still available with the No. 9 overall pick. “We feel like she can come in, she can make an impact.”

That she has, bursting out of the gates with an 18-point debut against the Dallas Wings and scoring in double figures in every game since. Mitchell currently leads the Fever with 14.3 points per game, a mark good enough for 16th in the league. And though struggling a bit from downtown as of late, Mitchell also leads the Fever with seven triples on the season. The only rookie with more makes from downtown this year is Stewart.

Even though there was near-unanimous agreement that Mitchell would be a perfect fit in Indianapolis, just how well she’s begun her professional career has been a bit of surprise — even to Mitchell herself. “I guess I wasn’t expecting this to happen this soon,” she told WNBA.com. “But I just knew I wanted to find my role and do whatever I needed to do to stay on the floor.”

Staying on the floor has been no problem at all for Mitchell, who has started five of the Fever’s seven games thus far, and ranks third on the team in minutes played at 27.3 a night. It’s a testament to just how valuable she has already become to the Fever. Her ability to score is welcome of course, but her work on the defensive end has been just as important.

In fact, that’s where she was expected to have the biggest impact, at least initially. “(The coaching staff) just thought my style of play and how we defended at South Carolina would be a pretty easy transition for me to come in and handle that aspect of it,” Mitchell said.

Already with two four-steal games, Mitchell is proving her coaches correct. Her 1.6 steals per game ranks 15th in the league and second among rookies, just behind Aerial Powers’ 1.7 a night. Fever coaches aren’t the only ones impressed by Mitchell’s defensive prowess, however.

“She has the physical abilities, she has the athleticism, she has the length,” said the team’s veteran point guard, Briann January, when asked about Mitchell’s work on the defensive end. “A lot of those great players can play one side of the court, but she does it on both ends for us. That’s what’s gonna make her great, and makes her one of the best rookies out there right now.”

Even Catchings has been impressed, saying the thing that stands out most from Mitchell thus far has been her quickness. “She’s really been able to leave her mark. The cool thing about her is all you’ve gotta do is look in her eyes. Like, ‘Tiff, this what we need you to do’ — and she goes out and does it.”

Mitchell has done plenty for the Fever so far this season, her play putting her right up there with Stewart in the running for Rookie of the Year. And according to January, this is just the beginning for Mitchell in the WNBA.

“She’s a learner, she’s a worker, she’s a gym rat,” January said. “I’m just challenging her everyday not to settle. I believe she has what it takes to be great in this league.”

Recounting a story from draft night, when she slipped all the way down to No. 9, Mitchell said, “I just remember sitting at the table when that happened. [South Carolina] coach [Dawn] Staley and I were talking: Just make the teams regret not picking you.”

Mission accomplished.